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Beyond the Petri Dish: The Performance of a Multiplex PCR-Based Pneumonia Panel in Hospitalized Patients With Lower

Pooja Naharia1, Anita Sharma1, Puneet Bhatt2

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Army Hospital Research and Referral, Delhi, IND.

Cureus
|April 28, 2026
PubMed

Insights

The BioFire® FilmArray® Pneumonia Panel (BFPP) significantly improves pathogen detection and reduces turnaround time for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). This multiplex PCR test aids in timely antibiotic selection and antimicrobial stewardship.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Diagnostic Technology

Background:

  • Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are a leading cause of mortality in intensive care units (ICUs).
  • Rapid and accurate pathogen identification is crucial for effective LRTI management.
  • Conventional culture methods for LRTI diagnosis can be time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the multiplex PCR-based BioFire® FilmArray® Pneumonia Panel (BFPP).
  • To compare BFPP results with conventional culture methods for identifying pathogens in hospitalized LRTI patients.
  • To assess the turnaround time advantage of BFPP over traditional culture.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective observational study of 261 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens.
  • Comparison of results from BFPP with conventional BAL culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing (ABST).
  • Analysis of concordance, sensitivity, specificity, and turnaround times between the two diagnostic methods.

Main Results:

  • BFPP detected 562 pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and atypical bacteria, with 33% polymicrobial infections.
  • Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes: NDM (33%), CTX-M-like (25%), OXA-48-like (18%).
  • BFPP showed 72% overall agreement with culture, with sensitivity of 90.2% and specificity of 57.8%, and a 52-hour faster turnaround time.

Conclusions:

  • BFPP enhances respiratory pathogen detection rates and significantly shortens diagnostic turnaround times.
  • Detection of antimicrobial resistance genes by BFPP facilitates prompt antibiotic administration.
  • BFPP plays a key role in improving antimicrobial stewardship and patient outcomes in LRTI cases.
Keywords:
antimicrobial stewardshipbiofire filmarraycoinfectionconcordancelower respiratory tract infection

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